Taxonomy and phylogenetics of Malaysian sargassum species (Fucales, Phaeophyceae) / Ng Woan Shien

Sargassum is one of the most diverse and complex genera in Phaeophyceae.Morphological plasticity of this genus has always resulted in difficulty in Sargassum species delineation. Malaysia as one of the hotspots recorded for Sargassum diversity has an available checklist record of 34 taxa. The existing classification of Malaysian Sargassum is based mainly on morphological characters. None has yet been revised using molecular data. The aim of this study is to use a combination of morphological and molecular data to resolve some taxonomy confusion and produce a more comprehensive phylogeny for the current species found in Malaysia. A survey was conducted throughout Malaysia and over 850 Sargassum specimens were newly collected and deposited in the Seaweeds and Seagrasses Herbarium, University of Malaya (KLU). 22 taxa from the Herbarium were revised morphologically whereby 14 newly collected taxa were subjected to DNA analyses in present study. Specimens were sequenced using the nuclear ITS-2, plastid partial Rubisco operon and mitochondrial cox3 markers. The identification of the fourteen species distinguished in this study using both morphology and DNA sequence analyses was confirmed by the examination of original diagnoses and type specimens when possible. One taxon remained unidentified.Descriptions of the fourteen taxa’s morphological variability were provided as well as an identification key for their identification. The phylogeny of Malaysian Sargassum was constructed using concatenated dataset. Only taxa from Sargassum subgenus Sargassum was found in Malaysia and represented in the sections Binderiana, Ilicifolia and Polycystae. The phylogeny was highly resolved at the sectional level and confirmed the current proposed revision within the genus. This study is the first comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of Malaysian Sargassum using three molecular markers. Apart iii from that, the status of several species also been reconsidered. Firstly, Sargassum siliquosum which was previously placed in section Malacocarpicae has been moved into section Ilicifolia. Secondly, the synonymy of Sargassum binderi and Sargassum oligocystum was confirmed with molecular evidence from both type specimens. Thirdly, the sequences of Sargassum binderi, Sargassum oligocystum, Sargassum polycystum and Sargassum stolonifolium from type localities are provided for the first time for phylogenetic analyses. Lastly, four new records (Sargassum densicystum, Sargassum longifructum, Sargassum marginatum and Sargassum cf. parvifolium) are reported in this thesis

Marine Algae Collected during the Scientific Expedition to Bachok, Kelantan and the Islands of Terengganu with One New Record, Pterocladiella for Malaysia

In 2008, a scientific expedition to Bachok (the new Marine Station), Kelantan and the vicinity of Terengganu, was organised by the Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), University of Malaya. The objective of the expedition was to collect and document the natural resources of Bachok and its vicinity. Our team collected and identified the marine algae resources of the area. A total of 133 taxa of marine algae and four taxa of seagrasses were compiled from the results as well as previous records for Kelantan and Terengganu. The marine algae comprise 3 families of Cyanophyta with 4 genera and 4 taxa; 10 families of Chlorophyta with 13 genera and 35 taxa; 16 families of Rhodophyta with 38 genera and 63 taxa; 4 families of Phaeophyta with 8 genera and 31 taxa. Only 35 taxa were collected during this present survey, the most from the Rhodophyta (14 taxa) followed by the Phaeophyta (12 taxa), the Chlorophyta (8 taxa) and the Cyanophyta (4 taxa). Of these, the Cyanophyta Lyngbya, Oscillatoria, Microcoleus and Brachytrichia; the Chlorophyta Ulva compressa, Ulva flexuosa, Ulva intestinalis, Caulerpa serrulata var. boryana; the Rhodophyta Gelidiella acerosa, Gelidiu pusillum, Actinotrichia fragilis, Acanthophora spicifera; and the Phaeophyta Dictyota ciliolata, Lobophora variegata, Padina antillarum, Hormophysa cuneiformis and Turbinaria conoides are new records for Kelantan and Terengganu. The Rhodophyta,Pterocladiella is a new record for Malaysia. Two families of seagrasses with 3 genera and 4 taxa were collected and included in this checklist. A new species of Halophila will be studied further